Apple 'Golden Delicious'

Malus pumila 'Golden Delicious'

Apple trees are deciduous and require long cold winters. For best results ask a local nursery for advice on optimal choices in terms of rootstock, varieties and cross pollinators. Golden Delicious apples have a green to yellow skin and ripen in midsummer.

Planning

Difficulty

Moderate

Flowering time

Spring

Fruiting time

Summer

Harvesting

Golden Delicious trees blossom in Spring and the apples are picked in Summer.

Propagation

Cuttings

Graft or bud Golden Delicious on seedling or other rootstock.

Seed

Seed need cold stratification of about 3 months. sow them outside in Autumn or let them overwinter in the fridge before planting in Spring. the seed will not breed true-to-kind and often revert back to old small apples!

Special features

Attracts useful insects

Apples are self-infertile and need to be cross-pollinated with a different cultivar apple - usually with the help of insects!

Crop rotation

Replant desease force groewers to treat old apple soil befor they can replant with apples agaain.

Geography

Origin

United States
West Virginia
1890s

Natural climate

Cold Interior

Environment

Light

Full Sun

Soil moisture

Moist

Soil type

Loam

Soil PH preference

Acid, Neutral

Frost hardiness

Hardy

Uses

Notes

Culinary

Personality

Family

Rosaceae

Flower colour

White with pink buds.

Scent

None

Problems

While young, bolworm attacks growth tips making tree training tricky. Fruit suffer from fruitfly, codling moth and fusi. Practise good orchard hygiene by harvesting all fruit when ripe and remove fallen fruits or windfall. Thin fruit to prevent small fruit!